Pipe forming packerhead apparatus with spigot end pressing means

ABSTRACT

A packerhead/vibration system concrete pipe machine having an overfill and compaction ring assembly mounted on top of the pipe mold enabling complete formation of the concrete pipe in one stage without need of adding extra concrete to the top of the mold to make up for volume lost in inherent compaction of material caused by vibration. A method of vibratory concrete pipe manufacture including the steps of overfilling the pipe mold in the pipe forming process, vibrating the concrete forming the pipe, and compressing the overfill concrete into a space created by densification of the pipe material caused by vibration.

United States Patent 11 11 1111 3,922,133

Crawford et al. 1 1 Nov. 25, 1975 I 1 PIPE FORMING PACKERHEAD 3.310.7435/191111 Nelson. 211411114 APPARATUS WITH SPIGOT END PRESSING 1 4(i1 lh8/196) liouchcr. 425F427 MEAN 1551,9611 1/1971 l-osw el al..,,.....425/411 $.(155fl42 4/1972 Trautncr...,,,,... 425/117 1751 Inventors:Gerald R. Crawford; Joseph F.

wemher hmh Ur Smux Primary l'. .\umm('rRnhcrt 1). Baldwin 1731 Assigncc;Concrete Pipe Machinery Company. Mcouudc Sioux City mrill/W110).Agr'llf.(Jrl /lHl-S1lllLlCh, Nolanv Neale. Nics 15 Kurz 122]Filed: Mar. 28, 1973 I21 I Appl. No; 345.743 [571 ABSTRAFT Apackerhcad/vihration system concrete pipe machine [52] U.S. Cl. 425/262;249/1111]; 425/427 1511 Int. Cl. B28B 21/26 158| Field of Search425/253, 262, 416, 421 425/424, 426-428, 431, 432, 4611, 468-46).456;249/11111; 264/71-72. 317

having an overtill and compaction ring asscinhly mounted on top ol thepipe mold enabling complete formation ot the concrete pipe in one stagewithout need o1- adding extra concrete to the top of the mold to make upfor volume lost in inherent compaction of material caused by vibration,A method of vibratory 1561 References cued concrete pipe manufactureincluding the steps of over- UNITED STATES PATENTS filling the pipe moldin the pipe forming process, vi- 3.161.936 12/1964 Tiller 249/1011hrating the concrete forming the pipe, and compress- 3.20l,1143 8/1965()swcilcr 425/421 ing the ovcrlill concrete into a space created bydensi- 3,2 l. 1 11/1 11 11 1 435/363 tication of the pipe materialcaused by vihration. 3.334.390 8/1967 Steiro 425/4314 3.341.911) 9/1967Hcsselholt 249/1111] Claims, 20 Drawing Figures 3a a 1 112 E\ 112 1 1 B21 g. 1 i '04 104 O 1 1 9s ,0 1 1 "L a 10s 64 I 1 102 10s 1 I 06 m 1 1 11 11 1 92 so 1 1 1 1 2", 1 1 1 1 1 4,; B N 74 62 86 J 1 Pi i Q1 Q B 1cl, 1 g 1 US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheetlof 10 3,922,133

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 2 0f 10 54 56 I4 46 /lo FIG. 2B

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet30f 10 3,922,133

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet40f 10 3,922,133

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 SheetSoflO 3,922,133

FIG. 6

Lil.

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet6of10 3,922,133

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet70f 10 3,922,133

FIG. 12

FIG. II

FIG. [3

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet80f 10 3,922,133

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet9of 10 3,922,133

I AiITZ U.S. Pltfillt Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 10 of 10 3,922,133

FIG I8 PIPE FORMING PACKERHEAD APPARATUS WITH SPIGOT END PRESSING MEANSCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION A portion of the disclosure ofthis application comprises the subject matter of a copending applicationentitled CAP REST ASSEMBLY FOR PACKERHEAD/- VIBRATION SYSTEM CONCRETEPIPE MA- CHINE, filed Apr. 19, 1973, Ser. No. 352,672 Ronald J. Walchek,inventor, and assigned to the same assignee as this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The subject matter of this applicationincludes significant improvements to concrete pipe making machinesdisclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,842, issued Apr. ll, I972,entitled METHOD OF VIBRAT- ING CORE IN CONCRETE PIPE MAKING MA- CHINEand U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 867,344 filed Oct. 17, 1969 nowU.S. Pat. No. 3,752,626, entitled VIBRATORY CORE FOR CONCRETE PIPEMAKING MACHINE. Both patent and application are assigned to Viropae,Inc., of Sioux City, Iowa. While the subject matter of the presentapplication is particularly useful with the invention disclosed andclaimed in the above referenced patent and patent application, it isequally useful with any of the wide variety of concrete pipe machinescurrently on the market, particularly those employing a vibratingprocess, as will become readily apparent below.

Referring to the above identified method patent, FIGS. 1-5 inclusivethereof disclose a concrete pipe machine employing a vibrating core.Initially the packerhead and core are locked together. The pipe is thenformed by passing packerhead and core upwardly through a verticallydisposed pipe mold or jacket while simultaneously discharging virtuallydry or zero slump concrete into the annular space between the jacket andcore (FIGS. l-3 of the method patent). Upon reaching the stage indicatedin FIG. 4 of the method patent the pipe has been completely formed.

However, the desired vibration, which eliminates voids and substantiallydensifies the pipe during formation, yields a green pipe withinsufficient concrete at the top end of the pipe mold to completely formthe spigot end of the pipe. Quite natually, this condition is caused bythe necessary and desirable vibration occurring during and after theformation of the pipe. As voids are filled and the pipe densities, thelevel of concrete falls, or slumps" into the mold cavity. This couldcause a crack in the spigot end together with downward displacement ofthe snap ring (which is normally present and used for forming a sealring groove in the spigot end) thus yielding a useless pipe section. Aninitial attempt to solve this problem was to make an extra subpass ofpackerhead and core, and adding supplemental concrete from the boot andconveyor in order to complete the pipe as set forth in the methodpatent. However, this extra operation not only left a mark internally ofthe pipe slightly below the spigot end, but also was a time consumingoperation, in an industry where extra time in forming each pipe resultsin an unduly burdensome expense. Specifically, performance studies havebeen done in this industry, and have shown that manufacture of pipe by avibratory method takes significantly longer than a non-vibratory method,but the cost is tolerated because the finished product is more desir 2able. However, to keep manufacturing costs competitive, increases intime required in the manufacture of pipe by a vibratory process must beavoided.

The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a downwardlydriven additional ring assembly on top of the pipe mold to accommodate aslight overfilling of the mold in initial pipe making the ring assemblyincluding a movable compaction ring above the overfill level of concretefor compressing the overfill into the pipe mold as vibration continues.When used with open bore caps the compaction ring serves to form asmooth spigot end to the pipe and when used with closed bore caps, itacts directly on the cap, which will form the spigot end.

Briefly stated, the present invention fills the slump created during theprocess of forming pipe by a packerhead/vibration system concrete pipemachine, permits green pipe to be made in one continuous operation, andis becoming known in the trade as a Slump Filler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of this invention toprovide a slump filler ring structure adapted to fit on top of the pipemold of a packerhead/vibration system concrete pipe machine to permitoverfill of the mold during the pipe filling process and subsequentcompaction of material into the desired pipe section.

It is an object of the invention to provide a slump filler assembly fora packerhead/vibration system which is simple in construction and easilyadaptable to a wide variety of existing machines.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slump fillerapparatus for a packerhead/vibration system wherein the slump filler maybe employed for either closed bore caps or open bore caps.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a slump fillerapparatus for a packerhead/vibration system wherein a compaction ring isprovided for acting on the concrete directly when used with an open borecap or against the cap ring proper when used with a closed bore cap.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a slump fillerapparatus for a packerhead/vibration system wherein the holddowncylinders of the system may be employed to actuate the slump filler.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slump filler apparatusfor a packerhead/vibration system having fluid pressure actuating meansoperable in conjunction with the systems holddown cylinders in oneembodiment, or independently of the system in another embodiment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a slump fillerapparatus for a packerhead/vibration system wherein the slump filler islocated beneath and outside of the concrete hopper on top of the pipemold, so the slump filler is protected from the concrete and the hopperinterior is left free for other equipment, such as an automatic hoppercleaner.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a slump fillerapparatus for a packerhead/vibration system which employs the guides ofthe existing hopper located on top of a pipe mold for operation, therebyproviding a compact, simple structure utilizing already existant otherstructure for support and actuation.

It is a further primary object of the invention to provide an apparatusfor concrete pipe forming by a packerhead/vibration system wherein agreen pipe is formed 3 by filling the mold with concrete, includingoverfilling the mold. simultaneous and subsequent vibration, andmechanical compaction to reduce the material into the desired finishedproduct.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an apparatus forconcrete pipe forming by a packerhead/- vibration system wherein a greenpipe is formed by an overfill-vibration-mechanical compaction method insingle. double or further multiple pass processes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Preferred structural embodiments of thisinvention are disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a front elevation view of one commercial embodiment of aconcrete pipe machine;

FIG. 2 is atop view of the machine shown in FIG. 1; FIGS. 2A and 2B areschematic views similar to FIG. 2 showing machines set up for right handand left hand operations, respectively;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of another commercial embodiment of aconcrete pipe machine, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. I in mostrespects, and fur ther showing a packerhead/vibration system employing arollerhead; the view is partly in section with parts broken away to showinterior details;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale front elevation view of the vibrating core,hopper and rollerhead shown in FIG. 3 and further illustrating oneembodiment of the slump filler the view being partly in section withparts broken away to show interior detail, and showing relationship ofparts just prior to actuation of the slump filler being used with anopen bore cap;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view similar to the upper one-third of FIG.4 but showing relationship of parts just after completion of acompaction operation by the slump filler as used with an open bore cap;

PEG. 6, is a greatly enlarged detail, partial section view of the upperleft hand portion of FIG. 5, showing one of a series of hydraulic ramactuators for the slump filler;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing relationship of partsafter actuation of the slump filler;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail section view of one hydraulic ram actuatortaken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are detail views similar to FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively,but illustrating another embodiment of the invention, used with a closedbore cap;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are detail views similar to FIGS. 9 and It),respectively, but showing a novel cap rest assembly. the subject matterof the copending application Ser. No. 352,672 noted above;

FIG. I3 is a detail end view of a cap rest member, taken along linesI3-l3 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged detail section view showing the left hand portionof the slump filler being used in manufacture of steel end ringnoncylinder wire reinforced concrete pipe;

FIG. [5 is a greatly enlarged elevation view of another cap restassembly;

FIG. 16 is a partial section view taken along lines I6-l6 of FIG.

FIG. I7 is a view in perspective of another embodi ment of a slumpfiller;

FIG 18 is a partial section view taken along lines IS IB of FIG. 17: and

FIG I9 is a view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating use of the embodimentof the slump filler shown in FIGS. 17

and 18.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As stated above, the slumpfiller of the instant invention is readily adaptable to any one ofa widevariety of existing concrete pipe machines employing apackerhead/vibration system. However, in discussing pre' ferredembodiments of the invention in this specification, reference will bemade only to one specific type of machine currently on the market.

Specifically, the slump filler is illustrated and discussed withreference to a concrete pipe machine utilizing a packerhead/vibrationsystem which is disclosed and claimed in the method patent and apparatuspatent application Ser. No. 867,344 noted above. Currently, this machineis known and marketed as at Me- Cracken" packerhead machine, employing aViropae supplemental vibration system, both being manufactured and soldby the assignee of this application.

Referring now to FIG. I, a McCracken concrete pipe machine is shown,minus a pipe mold and Viropac" unit and core for clarity of the figure.The pipe machine 10 is mounted over a pit 12 and includes a framesuperstructure 14, a packershaft 16 depending from crosshead 18, mountedfor vertical movement along a pair of guide tubes 20, and a pair ofhydraulically actuated lift rams 22 acting on support struts 24 of acrosshead 18 for raising and lowering crosshead 18. Beneath cross frame26 is a pipe jacket hopper 28, guided vertically by a pair of hopperguide tubes 30, and lowered by means of a pair of holddown cylinders andpiston rod assemblies 32. In this embodiment, an operators platform 34is attached to one side of hopper 28 and includes a control panel 36. Inother machines, the operators platform and control panel may be mountedelsewhere, for example, at the level of cross frame 26 on one side ofmachine 10. A pair of lift rods 38 fixed to and extending above hopper28, are mounted slidably through struts 24 of crosshead l8 and have liftblocks 40 at their upper, terminal ends. Thus, when a pipe formingoperation has been completed, crosshead 18 is lifted to the positionshown in phantom lines in FIG. 1. During the upward travel of crosshead18, struts 24 will engage blocks 40 and lift the hopper 28 off of thepipe mold or jacket therebeneath (not shown) so that the pipe jacket andthe pipe formed therein may be removed from the machine 10.

The pipe jacket is placed on a turntable 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2) whichincludes mounting stations 44, 46 for the pipe jackets. The pair ofstations 44 differ in diameter from stations 46 so that turntable 42 mayaccommodate varying sizes of pipe jackets, depending on the size of thepipe to be produced. At any one time, only one pair of stations will beused (44, in FIGS. 2, 2A and 2B) Thus, as one pipe jacket is being usedto form pipe on one station 44, the other station 44 will be disposedtherefrom, in an off bearing position, where a completed pipe and pipejacket may be removed, and an empty pipe jacket placed thereon. In thisway pro duction proceeds in a smooth, uninterrupted fashion.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are similar to FIG. 2, and illustrate right hand and"left hand" machines, respectively. In other words, depending upon thecustomers requirements, the machine may be built so that turntable 42rotates about the right front leg 48 (FIG. 1 of machine 10 or the leftfront leg (FIG. 28).

Other parts of machine 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 include an electricalpanel 50 with a cover door 52, hy-

draulic unit 54 for providing hydraulic fluid under pressure to thevarious hydraulically actuated components of machine 10, a concretematerial boot 56 and material conveyor 58, for transporting materialfrom boot S6 to hopper 28 and the pipe jacket (not shown).

Referring now to FIG. 3 a Viropac" modified Mc- Cracken concrete pipemachine has a Viropac" unit 60, Viropac" core 62, and a rollerheadvariety of packerhead 64 suspended from packer-shaft 16 depending fromcrosshead 18 on top of frame superstructure 14. The Viropac non-rotatingcore is mounted beneath turntable 14. The Viropac non-rotating core ismounted beneath turntable 42 on a core support platform 66 which movesvertically by means of a hydraulic piston cylinder actuator 68. Platform66 is guided for vertical movement by a plurality of bearing blockassemblies 70 attached to and supporting platform 66 and movable along aplurality (four, in this case) of stationary guide rods 72.

A pipe mold or jacket 74 rests on turntable 42 and, in this embodiment,has a bell end form section at the lower end, and a spigot end sectionat the top. Pipe jacket 74 may be either a single or multiple pieceunit. A bell end pallet 76 (FIG. 4) is located concentricallyinteriorally at the base of jacket 74, directly above a bell downassembly 78, which is employed to raise, rotate and vibrate pallet 76and consequently the material forming the bell end of the pipe sectionbeing made during the initial stages of forming a section of pipe.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the machine is in the stage of operationwherein a fresh, green pipe 80 has been almost made. A detaileddescription and discussion of the entire process of manufacture up tothis point appears in the method U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,842, referencedabove. FIG. 4 of that patent is similar to FIG. 3 of this specificationin showing the same stage of pipe manufacture.

At this stage of manufacture, all material has been placed in the jacket74. Rollerhead 64 has ceased its operation, and has been detached fromthe non-rotating vibratory core 62 and raised above jacket 74. Or,depending on customer preference, rollerhead 64 may remain attached tocore 62 during this time. At this point, core 62 continues to vibratefor a short period of time in order to assure complete consolidation,densifi cation and elimination of any voids in the material forminggreen pipe 80.

It is at this stage of manufacture that the slump filler 82 (FIGS. 4 andserves its intended purpose. Previously, the desirable core vibrationcaused material to settle or slump" leaving an incomplete spigot end togreen pipe 80. Even worse, vibration and slumping could cause a crackbehind the snap ring and downward displacement of the snap ring. Priorto this inven tion these problems were solved by leaving rollerhead l6locked to core 62, lowering the rollerhead and core slightly, and addingsufficient extra material from boot 56 and conveyor 58 to complete thespigot end of green pipe 80. This extra step was not only timeconsuming, but left objectionable finishing marks internally of thegreen pipe, near the spigot end. Furthermore, this revibration stepagain caused further slumping, resulting in a finished pipe ofinsufficient length, or a short pipe." The only alternative was theextra abbreviated pass being made without vibration, but this left afinished pipe with an unvibrated spigot end. Neither result is re allysatisfactory.

Slump filler 92 overcomes these problems by permitting a slight overfillof material into jacket 74 when the pipe is initially formed, thisoverfill being illustrated in FIG. 4 at 84. Other components illustratedin this view include one of a number of core vibrators 86. air hoses 88therefor, hydraulic lines 90 for the core to rollerhead locking device92 [disclosed in detail and claimed in U.S. Pat. No, 3,701,617,inventors and assignee being the same as in this application],longhottom 94 ol rollerhead 64, which rotates to trowel the mix and formthe smooth interior of pipe 80 and turning and Vlhfltl. ing plate andstandard assembly 95, used with bell down assembly 78 to form the bellend ofthc pipe as set forth above.

Slump filler 82 has a spigot end compaction and forming ring 96 which,as the step of core vibration continues after detaching and raisingrollerhead 64, dc presses the overfill 84 to consolidate and neatly formthe spigot end of the pipe, all as illustrated in FIG 8. without need ofadding additional material to jacket 4 to compensate for volume lostthrough material eonsol idation from vibration, as was previously done.

In the embodiment of the invention presently under discussion, thespigot end of the pipe is being formed In employing an open bore capring. Specifically, open bore cap 98 with its snap ring 100 thereincovers only about one-half of the outer, spigot end of pipe 80, theother half being formed by compaction ring 96. The embodiment employingclosed bore caps will be discussed below.

In the present embodiment, compaction ring 96 is welded to a shortcylindrical dimension spacer ring 102, which is in turn welded to afiller ring 104 bolded to hopper bottom plate 106 which is a part ofhopper 28. This entire unitary assembly is spaced above a stationary topcentering ring 108 by a plurality of hydraulic ram actuators 110.Actuators 110 are of sufficient capacity and distribution (in thisembodiment, 3 eir cumferentially spaced actuators 110 are enough) toresist the downward force exerted by mold and hopper holddown cylinders32, located on to each side of hopper 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, which is a view taken from the front of the machineillustrated in FIG. 3, guide tubes 30 for hopper 28 are received througha pair of hopper guide tube bearing blocks 112, firmly bolted to eitherside of hopper 28 and having outer flanges to which at t bolded the freeends of the piston rods of holddown cyl inders 32 at the bottom, and thebases of lift rods 38 at the top. Although the disposition of theseparts of tinmachine varies slightly from their disposition disclosed inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. I, their geneml structure andfunction remains the same.

During the step of compaction of the spigot end til the pipe 80,pressure in rams 110 is relieved to allow holddown cylinders 32 to drawhopper 28, and eonse quently slump filler 82 with its compaction ring96, downwardly towards top centering ring 108 so that parts reach thedisposition indicated in FIG. 5. This fig ure illustrates disposition ofparts after the slump fillet has served its purpose. That is, compactionring 96 has its lower, finishing surface substantially flush with thinterior, horizontal molding surface of open bore cap 98. At this pointin the pipe manufacturing process. green pipe 80 has been completelyformed, densified by the desired vibration. and has a finished spigotend. formed smoothly and leaving a pipe section of the d-: sired length.After the step illustrated in FIG. 5, core 62 7 is withdrawn from greenpipe 80 and jacket 74, table 42 is rotated 180 to remove the finishedpipe and its jacket while a fresh jacket is rotated into place beneathrollerhead 64, and the pipe manufacturing cycle is repeated.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate the construction of hydraulic ram actuators 110.Each ram is secured in mounting block or blocks 114, firmly bolted tostationary top centering ring 108. A pair of adjustable retaining posts116 each include a center rod 118, welded to and depending from fillerring 104, an adjustable guide sleeve and washer assembly 120, and a pairof lock nuts 122, threaded to the lower end of center rod 118. Thesleeve of assembly 120 passes through a guide bore 124, (FIG. 8) formedin top centering ring 108. The lower limit of travel of slump filler 82is determined by a spacer ring 126, welded to top centering ring 108,and having gap blocks 128 circumferentially spaced thereabout (FIG. 8).Blocks 128 provide a clearance area 130 for escape of material whichmight be forced about cap 98 during operation of slump filler 82.However, maximum separation between top centering ring 108 and fillerring 104 (FIG. 6) may be set by merely adjusting the vertical positionof sleeve assemblies 120 along rods 118 by lock nuts 122. Thisadjustable mounting feature permits manufacture of ram units 110 inmass, regardless ofthe size of machine 10 with which they may beeventually used. It also permits adjustment by the customer to suit hisconditions and requirements. In particular, the range of slump is about1% inches under most conditions, but the customer may wish to increaseor decrease this distance after experience with the machine.

The operation of slump filler 82 and ram units 110 is now summarized.During the pipe making cycle, prior to actuation of slump filler 82,hydraulic pressure is supplied to ram units 110 with sufficient force toovercome the holddown force from cylinders 32 (FIG. 4). As the pipe isvibrated at the end of the cycle (FIG. 5), pressure is relieved from ramunits 110, thereby allowing hopper 28 and slump filler 82 to lower underforce of holddown cylinders 32. After a pipe 80 is finished and hopper28 is lifted from jacket 74 by struts 24 engaging lift blocks 40 on liftrods 38 (FIG. 1) so that turntable 42 may be rotated to provide a newjacket 74, top centering ring 108 will fall away from filler ring 104 tothe extent permitted by posts 116 (FIG. 6). Of course, before holddowncylinders 32 are reactuated to secure a new jacket 74 in place ram units110 will be fully extended so the slump filler 82 will be in a readystate as a new pipe making cycle begins.

Turning now to FIGS. 9-16, use of the slump filler with a closed borecap 132, having a snap ring 134 therein, will be discussed. When slumpfiller 82 is used with open bore caps, compaction ring 96 acts directlyupon the material forming the outer spigot end of pipe 80, as explainedpreviously, open bore cap 98 remain ing stationary during operation ofslump filler 82 (FIGS. 4-5; 6-7). Cap 98 is retained in a stationaryposition by a series of retractable support pins 136 through the sidewall ofjacket 74. (When a completed pipe 80 is being cured, jacket 74 isremoved soon after the pipe 82 is formed, but cap 98 remains in placeuntil curing is complete. Thus, retractable pins 136 permit jacket 74 tobe removed without disturbing cap 98). However, when slump filler 82 isused with a closed bore cap 132. the entire cap must be moved from anupper to a lower position (FIGS. 9 and 10) since there is no room for acompaction ring 96 to fit between core 8 62 and the inner peripheraledge of closed bore cap 132.

Therefore, retractable closed bore cap rest means must be provided tohold closed bore cap 132 in an elevated attitude during initialformation of pipe 80, but be withdrawn, automatically, when slump filler82 is actuated. The preferred structure is a series of cap restassemblies 138 (FIGS. 1113) which is also disclosed and is claimed inthe copending application hereinbefore identified, Ronald .I. Walchek,inventor. In a preferred embodiment, three equispaced cap rests 138 aresufficient, but more may be added if necessary.

Cap rest assembly 138 has a mounting 140 welded to the side wall ofjacket 74 near the upper end of the jacket, a pair of torsion springs142 located upon a torsion spring mounting and retainer bolt 144, onespring to each side of mounting 140, a pair of set screws 146 abuttingthe free ends of springs 142, and a base 148 to secure the other ends oftorsion springs 142. A cap rest foot 150 is pivotally mounted centrallyof mounting 140 and extends through an opening 152 out through jacket74, when supporting closed bore cap 132 (FIG. 11).

Slump filler 82 includes a slump compression ring 154 at its lower end,instead of compaction ring 96. However, both ring 96 and 154 aresubstantially alike in function and dimensions, save for the fact thatring 154 contacts the top of closed bore cap 132 whereas ring 96contacts the concrete forming the outer spigot end of the pipe directly.In other words, the only real difference between construction andoperation of the slump filler arrangement when used with closed bore andopen bore caps is substitution of cap rest 138 for pins 136 in theformer, and use of pins 136 in place of cap rests 138 in the latter.

Prior to actuation of slump filler 82, cap rest feet 150 support closedbore cap 132 as shown in FIG. 11, springs 142 being adjusted as neededby set screws 146 to support the weight of closed bore cap 132. Whenslump filler 82 is actuated, closed bore cap 132 moves downwardly to theposition indicated in FIG. 12, thereby pivoting cap rest feet into aretracted position, there being sufficient force from holddown cylinders32 (FIG. 4) to overcome force exerted by torsion springs 142.

The invention is useful in the production of a wide variety ofunreinforced and wire reinforced pipe. It may even be used in theproduction of non-cylinder concrete pipe, non-prestressed, which hasbeen used extensively in the water supply industry for low-headtransmission lines. (See American Water Works Association Manual M9, NewYork, 1961:pp.45 A section of such pipe is shown in FIG. 14, andincludes a lower bell ring 156 welded to lower, wire cage reinforcement158, and an upper spigot ring 160, seamed to upper wire cagereinforcement 162. In this case, a Z-closed bore cap 164 is employed,but the remaining elements of the machine remain as before.Reinforcement sections 156458 and 160-162 are situated in telescopingrelationship, unconnected one to the other,

so that slump filler 82 may be used as disclosed in 174. The other legof lever 170 is connected to support pin 168 by a pin 175. A hydraulicactuator 176 is secured beneath top centering ring 108 (not shown inFIGS. and 16) and is actuated to retracted support pin 168 to theposition shown in FIG. 16 upon actuation of the slump filler (not shownin FIGS. 15 and 16). Pin 136 which is employed with open bore caps isremoved when closed bore caps are used, but a mount therefor is providedon bracket 166 so that the device may be used with open bore caps.Conversely, support pin 168 is not used when pins 136 are in use.

The previously discussed cap rest assembly 138 is preferred because,being entirely mechanical in nature, it does not require extra actuationmeans such as actuator 176.

Similarly, an early development in finding an adequate slump fillerapparatus is disclosed in FIGS. 17-19. In other words under ideal fieldconditions, the slump filler disclosed in these Figures will operatesatisfactorily, but the embodiments disclosed previously have proven tobe far more reliable, particularly in varied use conditions.

In this early embodiment, hopper 28 and top centering ring 108 aresecured together, instead of being spaced apart by hydraulic ramactuators and moved together under influence of the holddown cylindersto actuate slump filler 82. In this case, slump filler 82 is mountedwithin the confines of hopper 28 and arranged for spiral movementinstead of linear, vertical actuation. Specifically, filler ring 104 ofslump filler 82 is bolted about its periphery to a driven, slump filleractuating ring 178, having an outer circumferential base flange 180attached to at least a pair of hydraulic piston-cylinder actuators 182.Actuators 182 are mounted at their cylinder base ends to struts 184which are welded to formed extensions (FIG. 17) of hopper bottom plate106. Actuators 182 and attendant parts are protected from concrete andother debris by a stationary cover plate 186, having an internaldepending flange which overlaps the vertical side walls of actuatingring 178. FIG. 17 illustrates the relationship of parts, with the mainside wall of hopper 28 removed so that the interior may be viewedclearly.

FIG. 18 shows one of the two actuators 182 together with one of two camassemblies 188 employed with each actuator 182. In this view, flange 180and consequently slump filler 82 attached to ring 178 are in a raisedattitude. Cam assembly 188 has a cam 190 comprising a pair of barswelded to a vertically disposed plate 192, which is in turn welded tohopper bottom plate 106. A cam follower or roller 194 on roller mount196, welded to flange 180, is disposed to ride in cam 190; a pair ofrollers 198 may be added to roller mount 196 to assure integrity of themoveable arrangement.

The free piston end of actuator 182 is secured to weldment ear 200 offlange 180 by a pin bolt 202, while the cylinder base end of actuator182 is attached to struts 184 by a second pin bolt 204 through acrossbar weldment 206 between struts 184. Both actuator 182 and cam 190are arranged in parallel planes, angled to a horizontal plane so thatflange 180, slump filler actuating ring 178 and slump filler 82 movedownwardly in a spiral or helical fashion to form the spigot end of pipe80. FIG. 19 illustrates disposition of elements after compaction ring 96of slump filler 82 has completed its function. Although this embodimentof the invention is illustrated in used with an open bore cap 98, itcould easily be adapted for use with closed bore caps, as pre- 10viously set forth above with respect to the first embodiment of slumpfiller 82.

While this embodiment of the invention has certain advantages. namelyslump filler 82 may be actuated without aid of the holddown cylinders ofthe machine and imparts a spiral action to compaction ring 96 which,when used with an open bore cap 98, serves to trowel and smooth theouter end of the pipe spigot end, it is more expensive to produce andrequires substantial maintenance for satisfactory operation. Forexample, the actuating mechanism is located interiorally of hopper 28,rather than at the bottom and outside of hopper 28, thus leaving littleroom for a hopper cleaner (not shown), a well known mechanism in the artusually comprising a pair of spiral segments periodically activated tosweep accumulated excess concrete from the hopper.

A detail discussion of pipe making methodology in a packerhead/vibrationsystem follows. with particular attention to the operation of a slumpfilling step included in the operation. Preparation for a pipe makingcycle begins with placing an empty pipe jacket on turntable 42 in theoff bearing position and rotating turntable 180 to place the jacket in apipe making position beneath the crosshead (FIG. 2). Of course, when theoperation is in progress a jacket with a completed pipe in place in thepipe making position will be rotated simultaneously to the off bearingposition to be removed for curing and replacement by a fresh, emptyjacket. During this time, rollerhead 64 is fully raised (FIG. 3) andcore 62 is completely lowered into pit 12 so that turntable 42 may berotated.

The pipe making cycle begins by lowering rollerhead 64 down into pipejacket 74 until the bases of the rollers of rollerhead 64 are situatedimmediately above the top flange of pipe bell end pallet 76. Core 62 israised sufficiently so that rollerhead-vibrating core locking device 92may latch rollerhead and core to gether. Bell down unit 78 is alsoraised so that table and vibrating assembly engages bell pallet 76 torotate the same, clockwise (viewed downwardly) and vibrate pallet 76 asconcrete is introduced to jacket 74 from boot S6 and conveyor 58. Afterconcrete is placed in the bell, rollerhead 64 is rotatedcounterclockwise (also viewed downwardly) and this counterrotation ofpallet 76 and rollerhead 64 is continued until the bell of the pipe isformed.

Next the rotating rollerhead 64 and the non-rotating vibrating core 62in combination arrangement are raised as concrete continues to be addedto jacket 74 to form the major section of the pipe. During this phase ofthe complete cycle, vibration and rotation of pallet 76 ceases and belldown unit is lowered to its initial position (the lowermost dispositionof hell down unit 78 is shown in FIG. 3). Vibration of the coreconsolidates concrete forming the pipe, eliminates voids and relievesresidual toroidal stress in any reinforcing wire in the pipe (not shown,except in FIG. 12) to induce a more intimate bond between reinforcementand concrete.

Eventually, all concrete will have been introduced into jacket 74 andthe machine will reach a phase illustrated in FIG. 3, where rollerhead64 has ceased rotation, and has been detached from core 12 and raisedabove the jacket. However, some customers prefer to make a second oreven third pass of rollerhead and core within jacket 74 so that a littlemore concrete may be added and an even more dense pipe may be formed.

1 1 in this case, rollerhead and core will remain locked together andlowered to the bottom of the jacket to be raised again, the rollerheadrotating and core vibrating. as a little more concrete is introducedinto jacket 74. in such multiple pass operations. bell down unit 78 willnot be reactivated after the first pass.

For actuation of slump filler 82, core and rollerhead may remain lockedtogether or separated as described (FIGS. 3 and S), the latter coursebeing more common. During actuation of slump filler 82, core 62continues to vibrate while material already in jacket 74 is compacted bythe slump filler to reduce the overfill 84 (FIG. 4) into a completedpipe 80 (FIG. and correctly form the spigot end of the pipe.

When the pipe is finished, core and rollerhead are unlocked. withraising of the rollerhead if this has not already been done, and core 62is fully retracted into pit l2. Thereafter the complete pipe makingcycle is repeated as just described.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the fore goingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A packerhead/vibration system for making pipe of cementitiousmaterial in one continuous operation comprising: pipe form means; meansfor introducing cementitious material into said pipe form means; arotating packerhead, upwardly moveable through said pipe form means formaking the pipe; means for vibrating the cementitious materialcomprising the pipe as the pipe is made; means for enabling overfillingsaid pipe form means with an overfill of the cementitious material andbeing located on said pipe form means as the pipe is made; means forcompressing said overfill into said pipe form means to complete the endof a green pipe; and means on said pipe form means for positioning saidoverfill compressing means in a first predetermined location as the pipeis made and in a second predetermined location beneath said firstpredetermined location after said overfill is compressed into said pipeform means to complete the end of a green pipe.

2. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 1 wherein saidpipe form means comprise a generally cylindrical and vertically disposedjacket having pipe bell end forming means at the lower end thereof andpipe spigot end forming means at the upper end thereof, said overfillcompressing means and said means for positioning said overfillcompressing means both surmounting said pipe spigot end forming means.

3. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 2 wherein saidpipe form means further comprise a hopper surmounting said spigot endforming means, said means for compressing said overfill into said pipeand said means for positioning said overfill compress ing means bothbeing mounted on said hopper.

4. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 3 wherein saidhopper further comprises a stationary top centering ring locatedconcentrically downwardly of said hopper, positionable on the upperouter periphery of said pipe form during a pipe making oper 12 ation.and removable therefrom with said hopper after a pipe making operation,

5. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 4 wherein saidoverfill means and said overfill compressing means are arrangedconcentrically, one with respect to the other, and generally betweensaid pipe form upper outer periphery and said hopper.

6. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 5 wherein saidoverfill compressing means comprise an overfill compression ring,rigidly mounted on and depending concentrically downwardly interiorallyfrom said hopper, releasable spacer means separating said hopper andsaid top centering ring, and hopper holddown means, operative to movesaid hopper and overfill compression ring downwardly with respect tosaid top centering ring and said pipe form to compress said overfillinto said pipe form spigot end.

7. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 6 wherein saidspacer means comprise a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluidpressure actuators.

8. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 7 wherein each ofsaid fluid pressure actuators comprises a piston cylinder actuator.

9. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 8 wherein saideach of said plurality of piston cylinder actuators further comprisesadjustable stop means for adjustably preseleeting the separationdistance between said hopper and said top centering ring.

10. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 9 wherein saidadjustable stop means comprises at least a pair of posts depending fromsaid hopper on opposite sides of said actuator and projecting throughsaid top centering ring, each post having stop means at the lower end ofsaid post, beneath said top centering ring and arranged to abut thelower surface of said top centering ring, and releasable securing meanson said post beneath said stop means for adjusting the location of saidstop means along said post.

11. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 6 wherein saidpipe form means further comprise an open bore cap ring at the spigot endthereof, arranged to form approximately one-half of the outer spigot endof the pipe, means for securing said open bore cap ring at the top ofsaid pipe form means, heneath said top centering ring, said overfillmeans comprising a vertically arranged relatively short lengthcylindrical spacer ring mounted on the inner peripheral edge of said topcentering ring, said overfill compression ring being arrangedconcentrically interiorally of said overfill means spacer ring andmovable downwardly therewithin to compact said overfill into said pipeform means.

12. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 11 wherein saidmeans for securing said open bore cap ring in said pipe means comprise aplurality of circumferentially spaced retractable support pins, locatedthrough said pipe form, substantially beneath said open bore cap ring.

13. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 11 wherein saidoverfill means spacer ring further comprise means defining a pluralityof passage means adjacent the upper periphery thereof, for discharge ofcementitious material exceeding desired amount of OVClfill.

14. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 11 wherein saidoverfill means spacer ring is arranged between said hopper and said topcentering ring to limit .the approach of said hopper and top centering13 ring together during a pipe making operation.

15. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 6 wherein saidmeans for overfilling the pipe form means comprise a closed bore capring at the spigot end of said pipe form means, arranged to formsubstantially the entire outer peripheral end of the pipe spigot end,and releasable support means to support said closed bore cap ring abovethe upper end of said pipe form, said overfill compression ring beinglocated above said closed bore cap ring and arranged to press saidclosed bore cap ring and said overfill therebeneath into said form meansto complete the spigot end of the pipe.

16. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 15 wherein saidtop centering ring includes a short length cylindrical spacer ring forlimiting axial approach of said hopper and said top centering ring.

17. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 16 wherein saidshort length cylindrical spacer ring further comprises means defining aplurality of passage means along the upper periphery thereof, fordischarge of excess cementitious material therethrough.

18. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 5 wherein saidhopper and said top centering ring 14 are rigidly secured together, saidoverfill compressing means comprising an overfill compressing ring,located concentrically downwardly interiorally of said hopper, actuatingring means, located interiorally of said hopper. said overfillcompression ring depending therefrom, and fluid pressure actuating meansmounted in said hopper for moving said actuating ring means and overfillcompression ring vertically downwardly towards said pipe form means.

19. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 18 wherein saidfluid pressure actuating means for moving said actuating ring means andoverfill compression ring comprise at least a pair of piston cylinderactuators, located on opposite sides of said hopper.

20. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 19 wherein eachof said pair of piston cylinder actuators is arranged at an angle to ahorizontal plane and further comprises cam means mounted on one ot saidactuating ring means or hopper and cooperating cam follower meansmounted on the other of said actu ating ring means or hopper wherebyupon actuation ol' said piston cylinder actuators, said actuating ringmeans and overfill compression ring means are driven spirally downwardlytowards said pipe form means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -(IIEIRTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3922.133 DATED I November 25-, 1975 INVENTOR(S) 1 Gerald R. Crawford andJoseph F. Wenther It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 37, delete the comma after "6".

Column 5, line 9, change "packer-shaft" to --packershaft-.

Column 5, lines 11 and 12, delete The 'Viropac' non-rotating core ismounted beneath turntable l4".

Column 6, line 48, change "bolded" to --bolted--.

Column 9, line 67, change "used" to --use--.

Signed and Sealed this sixth Day of April1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN r-lrrr'xn'ng ()ffu'r'r ('rmrmixsmm'rul'lun'urx um! 'l'rurlr'murkx

1. A packerhead/vibration system for making pipe of cementitiousmaterial in one continuous operation comprising: pipe form means; meansfor introducing cementitious material into said pipe form means; arotating packerhead, upwardly moveable through said pipe form means formaking the pipe; means for vibrating the cementitious materialcomprising the pipe as the pipe is made; means for enabling overfillingsaid pipe form means with an overfill of the cementitious material andbeing located on said pipe form means as the pipe is made; means forcompressing said overfill into said pipe form means to complete the endof a green pipe; and means on said pipe form means for positioning saidoverfill compressing means in a first predetermined location as the pipeis made and in a second predetermined location beneath said firstpredetermined location after said overfill is compressed into said pipeform means to complete the end of a green pipe.
 2. Thepackerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 1 wherein said pipe formmeans comprise a generally cylindrical and vertically disposed jackethaving pipe bell end forming means at the lower end thereof and pipespigot end forming means at the upper end thereof, said overfillcompressing means and said means for positioning said overfillcompressing means both surmounting said pipe spigot end forming means.3. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 2 wherein saidpipe form means further comprise a hopper surmounting said spigot endforming means, said means for compressing said overfill into said pipeand said means for positioning said overfill compressing means bothbeing mounted on said hopper.
 4. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 3 wherein said hopper further comprises a stationarytop centering ring located concentrically downwardly of said hopper,positionable on the upper outer periphery of said pipe form during apipe making operation, and removable therefrom with said hopper after apipe making operation.
 5. The packerhead/vibration system as recited inclaim 4 wherein said overfill means and said overfill compressing meansare arranged concentrically, one with respect to the other, andgenerally between said pipe form upper outer periphery and said hopper.6. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 5 wherein saidoverfill compressing means comprise an overfill compression ring,rigidly mounted on and depending concentrically downwardly interiorallyfrom said hopper, releasable spacer means separating said hopper andsaid top centering ring, and hopper holddown means, operative to movesaid hopper and overfill compression ring downwardly with respect tosaid top centering ring and said pipe form to compress said overfillinto said pipe form spigot end.
 7. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 6 wherein said spacer means comprise a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced fluid pressure actuators.
 8. Thepackerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 7 wherein each of saidfluid pressure actuators comprises a piston cylinder actuator.
 9. Thepackerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 8 wherein said each ofsaid plurality of piston cylinder actuators further comprises adjustablestop means for adjustably preselecting the separation distance betweensaid hopper and said top centering ring.
 10. The packerhead/vibrationsystem as recited in claim 9 wherein said adjustable stop meanscomprises at least a pair of posts depending from said hopper onopposite sides of said actuator and projecting through said topcentering ring, each post having stop means at the lower end of saidpost, beneath said top centering ring and arranged to abut the lowersurface of said top centering ring, and releasable securing means onsaid post beneath said stop means for adjusting the location of saidstop means along said post.
 11. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 6 wherein said pipe form means further comprise an openbore cap ring at the spigot end thereof, arranged to form approximatelyone-half of the outer spigot end of the pipe, means for securing saidopen bore cap ring at the top of said pipe form means, beneath said topcentering ring, said overfill means comprising a vertically arrangedrelatively short length cylindrical spacer ring mounted on the innerperipheral edge of said top centering ring, said overfill compressionring being arranged concentrically interiorally of said overfill meansspacer ring and movable downwardly therewithin to compact said overfillinto said pipe form means.
 12. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 11 wherein said means for securing said open bore capring in said pipe means comprise a plurality of circumferentially spacedretractable support pins, located through said pipe form, substantiallybeneath said open bore cap ring.
 13. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 11 wherein said overfill means spacer ring furthercomprise means defining a plurality of passage means adjacent the upperperiphery thereof, for discharge of cementitious material exceedingdesired amount of overfill.
 14. The packerhead/vibration system asrecited in claim 11 wherein said overfill means spacer ring is arrangedbetween said hopper and said top centering ring to limit the approach ofsaid hopper and top centering ring together during a pipe makingoperation.
 15. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 6wherein said means for overfilling the pipe form means comprise a closedbore cap ring at the spigot end of said pipe form means, arranged toform substantially the entire outer peripheral end of the pipe spigotend, and releasable support means to support said closed bore cap ringabove the upper end of said pipe form, said overfill compression ringbeing located above said closed bore cap ring and arranged to press saidclosed bore cap ring and said overfill therebeneath into said form meansto complete the spigot end of the pipe.
 16. The packerhead/vibrationsyStem as recited in claim 15 wherein said top centering ring includes ashort length cylindrical spacer ring for limiting axial approach of saidhopper and said top centering ring.
 17. The packerhead/vibration systemas recited in claim 16 wherein said short length cylindrical spacer ringfurther comprises means defining a plurality of passage means along theupper periphery thereof, for discharge of excess cementitious materialtherethrough.
 18. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 5wherein said hopper and said top centering ring are rigidly securedtogether, said overfill compressing means comprising an overfillcompressing ring, located concentrically downwardly interiorally of saidhopper, actuating ring means, located interiorally of said hopper, saidoverfill compression ring depending therefrom, and fluid pressureactuating means mounted in said hopper for moving said actuating ringmeans and overfill compression ring vertically downwardly towards saidpipe form means.
 19. The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim18 wherein said fluid pressure actuating means for moving said actuatingring means and overfill compression ring comprise at least a pair ofpiston cylinder actuators, located on opposite sides of said hopper. 20.The packerhead/vibration system as recited in claim 19 wherein each ofsaid pair of piston cylinder actuators is arranged at an angle to ahorizontal plane and further comprises cam means mounted on one of saidactuating ring means or hopper and cooperating cam follower meansmounted on the other of said actuating ring means or hopper whereby uponactuation of said piston cylinder actuators, said actuating ring meansand overfill compression ring means are driven spirally downwardlytowards said pipe form means.